"I always enjoy good support here in Paris, I think the people here know how special is this place for me" - Rafael Nadal after 2R win at French Open
Rafael Nadal was a man on a mission on Wednesday as he crushed Frenchman Corentin Moutet in the second round of the French Open. After the win, the 13-time champion said he feels loved in Paris irrespective of who he plays against.
Nadal was untroubled in the first two sets against home favorite Moutet, dropping only four games. Moutet offered sterner resistance in the third set, breaking the Spaniard twice, but eventually came up short as Nadal improved to 18-0 in second-round matches at Roland Garros.
The win was Nadal's 300th in Grand Slams and his 107th at Roland Garros as he joined Roger Federer (369) and Novak Djokovic (324) in an exclusive club of players with 300+ Slam match wins.
#RolandGarros107 victoires à Roland-Garros.
300 en Grand Chelem.
Rafael Nadal toujours plus dans la légende. 👑🇪🇸 #RolandGarros
Following his 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 victory, the 35-year-old was asked in a press conference how it feels when the crowd has split loyalties. Nadal stated that he has never experienced a hostile crowd at the claycourt Major and that the support in the second round was "50/50".
"I think the crowd was very nice with me too, no? I don't think, I, I really didn't feel the crowd against me at all. I think it was a 50/50, and it was supporting a good tennis," Nadal said.
The Spaniard added that the French crowd has always been appreciative of him, likely due to his stellar accomplishments and the immense respect he has for the tournament.
"I always enjoy a good support here in Paris, I think the people here know how special is this place for me and how important and how much respect I always had for Roland Garros, and I think they appreciate all the things that I did in this event, so I feel a lot of love from the people here," he added.
"There is room to improve, and I need to improve if I want to keep having chances to go deeper" - Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is yet to drop a set in two matches at this year's French Open. However, he played only five matches on clay coming into the claycourt Major, reaching the quarterfinals in Madrid and the third round in Rome.
Despite his second straight-sets win in the French capital, Nadal knows there is scope for improvement if he wants to go deep in the tournament.
"I am positive about the things that I did out there tonight. Of course there is room to improve, and I need to improve if I want to keep having chances to go deeper," Nadal added.
"Just enjoying the fact that I am at #RolandGarros."
So are we @RafaelNadal, so are we 🧡 https://t.co/sF8BSefvnB
Nadal, who is slated to meet defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, will play Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp for a place in the last 16.